The invention relates to a turbocharger for a motor vehicle, having a housing as well as a valve seat arranged in the housing.
Turbochargers are commonly used in the automotive field and serve to compress the fresh air delivered to an internal combustion engine according to a known principle. A corresponding turbocharger often has a so-called bypass or bypass channel by which the exhaust gas stream channeled through the turbine of the turbocharger can be controlled by taking a portion of the exhaust gas stream through the bypass channel and past the turbine when necessary. The control of the exhaust gas stream is typically done with the aid of a valve arranged in the bypass channel, the so-called waste gate valve, whose position can be dictated, and the partial exhaust gas stream flowing through the bypass channel can be determined. Such a turbocharger design is described, for example, in DE 10 2010 013 702 A1.
Starting from this, the problem which the invention proposes to solve is to provide an advantageously designed turbocharger as well as a method of manufacturing same.
This problem is solved by a turbocharger, as well as a method of manufacturing same, for a motor vehicle, comprising a housing as well as a valve seat arranged in the housing. The valve seat is held in the housing in an interlocking manner by at least one elastic securing element.
The benefits cited in regard to the turbocharger and preferred embodiments can also be transferred accordingly to the method and vice versa.
A corresponding turbocharger is designed for the automotive field and comprises a housing as well as a valve seat arranged in the housing. The valve seat is designed here as a separate element, a prefabricated component or prefabricated subassembly, and it is held in the housing in an interlocking manner by way of at least one elastic securing element.
A turbocharger with this design offers, among other things, the advantage that the valve seat can be replaced when necessary, i.e., when it becomes worn, for example. This is therefore especially advantageous since the valve seat serves primarily as a sealing element which is subject to a certain wear and tear, having unfavorable effects on the effectiveness of the turbocharger.
Thanks to the fastening of the valve seat by way of an elastic securing element, the valve seat is in turn securely held in its position in the housing of the turbocharger on the one hand, and on the other hand the installation of the valve seat in the housing is relatively simple. The fastening solution is, in particular, also very heat resistant and accordingly the fastening is not impaired by the temperatures occurring during the operation of the turbocharger, such as is the case for example with a fastening of the valve seat by way of a press fitting.
Advisedly, the interlocking connection is further designed with the aid of the elastic securing element so that the securing element or spring element is tensioned for the connecting of valve seat and housing and after being positioned in the housing it is at least partly relaxed. The at least partial relaxation occurs advantageously automatically as soon as the valve seat has reached its intended position in the housing, so that the mounting or the installing of the valve seat is easier.
According to one variant embodiment, the elastic securing element in the at least partly relaxed state protrudes further into a material recess in the housing so that a kind of tongue and groove joint is realized by the elastic securing element and the material recess, which is formed when the valve seat has reached the intended position in the housing of the turbocharger in the course of a mounting process.
Alternatively or additionally, a material recess is formed on the sleeve body into which the elastic securing element protrudes in an analogous manner, so that a tongue and groove type joint or connection is realized by means of the elastic securing element and the material recess or material recesses.
Further preferably, the valve seat is ring or sleeve shaped and, furthermore preferably, at least one of the material recesses is formed as an encircling groove and thus as an annular material recess. Such material recesses can be realized rather easily and can be worked into the housing or the annular body or sleeve body of the valve seat by milling, for example.
In particular, if the material recess in the housing and/or the material recess of the valve seat is/are ring shaped, it is further advantageous for the elastic securing element to be configured as a spring element in the manner of a snap ring. In this way, the elastic securing element can be positioned in an easy manner on the ring body or on the sleeve body of the valve seat or in the housing. The elastic securing element is subsequently held on the ring body or on the sleeve body of the valve seat or in the housing, which again is beneficial for an easy assembly.
Furthermore, it is advantageous for the housing of the turbocharger to be designed such that it has an end stop, especially an annular end stop, for the valve seat, against which the valve seat presses in the mounted state, for example, by one end face. In the course of the installation of the valve seat, the valve seat is then inserted with the tensioned elastic securing element in the bypass channel for example and pushed in the direction of the intended position until it reaches the intended position and thus the end stop, whereupon the tensioned elastic securing element relaxes in the material recess supplementing the elastic securing element and becomes interlocked with it.
Advisedly, the valve, which is preferably given by a valve flap, is then introduced from the same direction into the bypass channel and moved in the direction of the valve seat until it reaches the valve seat and thus the intended position.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of one or more preferred embodiments when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.